


An Assist

by Anyawen



Series: 2020 LDWS [4]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24609649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anyawen/pseuds/Anyawen
Summary: Bond learns that he’s been equipped with an unlooked-for advantage.
Relationships: James Bond & Q
Series: 2020 LDWS [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779136
Comments: 13
Kudos: 71
Collections: MI6 Cafe Last Drabble Writer Standing





	An Assist

**Author's Note:**

> My drabble for week 4 of the 2020 MI6 Cafe LDWS challenge (requiring exactly 400 words and had to include the phrase 'we aim to please') which won 1st place (!!?!). Word count according to wordcounter.io is 400 words.

Bond paused, studying the bullet he was loading into his spare clip. There were scratches on the base of the casing. That was decidedly odd. Q would never send out ammunition with any sort of flaw that could impair its use, or worse, damage the gun — or the agent using it.

He ran a finger over the base but couldn't detect the scratches. Turning it in his hands he looked again. Definitely there. And, he checked, also on all the other bullets in the clip.

The chance of a bad bullet from q-branch was staggeringly small, but not zero. The chance of an entire bad batch escaping notice, however, could be measured in negative numbers. If Q sent these bullets out into the field, then these marks were meant to be there. There must be a reason for them.

There was something niggling at him. He’d seen this pattern of scratches before.

He glanced over at his Walther. Picking it up he peered at it closely, turning it over and over in his hands.

Ah. There it was. On the back of the trigger was a faint glimmer of markings.

... .||. .|.. .| |.|. . .|. . ... | ..| |.. . || ..| ...

It took him a minute to recognize that the lines were dashes among a smattering of dots. After that realization the letters came easily.

"placere studemus"

Translating the Latin took slightly longer.

A moment later he tapped his ear and heard the faint ambient sounds of Q-branch through the earwig.

"Do you require assistance, 007?" Q asked.

"Interesting numbers in your annual report."

"Focus on the mission, Bond. We can discuss— "

"Decreased stray bullet injuries on ops over the last year, but no noticeable increase in range scores," Bond continued, speaking over Q.

"True."

"We're hitting our targets more often without actually being better shots."

"An impressive feat."

"Very. I've not seen magic like it since my gran passed."

"I- What?"

"She was a hedge witch."

"Oh. Are you ..."

"No," Bond replied as he finished loading the clip. "Can't sense or cast magic. Recognized the marks as spellwork, though. Nice work. You're some sort of technomage?"

"Something like that."

"And the spell?"

"Merely an assist."

"An effective one."

"Thank you."

"Just one thing, Q."

"Yes?"

"Is that phrase really the best anchor you could come up with?"

"Well. You can't deny it's apropos. After all, 'we aim to please.'”


End file.
